The Ghetto Kind of Life – A Tribute to The Struggle!!

I was pondering the uproar regarding comments alleged to have been made by Job Wiwa Sikhala on his facebook profile. He had written or in facebook terms his mind was thinking about some rumour he received from unnamed sources in Singapore, the post or what was on his mind appear obscure but many took it he thought Robert Mugabe was dead. How people arrived at such a conclusion baffles my mind. Nevertheless can anybody be prosecuted on account of “what’s on your mind?” Do we have the “thought police” as envisaged in George Orwell’s 1984? Haply if so then we can expect Mr. Job Sikhala to be charged with “thought crime”, we are living in interesting times indeed.

However the whole scenario reminded me of the ghetto where Job grew up and most likely still reside. His way of speech might display immaturity but such is life in the ghetto, salacious chatter is a norm. Who does not remember his/her mother standing in her yard speaking to a neighbour with the fence in between as the stupefied judge? Or if time and chance allow, a gathering of many housewives in the street whose quorum was only broken when the fathers started to trickle from work holding a Herald newspaper. Such is life in the ghetto; the ghetto laws transcend the laws of the land and mostly seem to be in direct conflict with each other. Growing up in the ghetto of Chitungwiza, affectionately known as Chi-town, it was customary to see the law being made a mockery of, a desire to come against the system was an in-born trait, who does not remember the municipal police chasing public drinkers down a street with bystanders cheering on Olympic style, the half-drunk fellows always ended being caught and hauled by their belts to the municipal van. Perhaps it was the reluctance to let go of that Lion Lager that disturbed their dash for freedom, with one hand trying not to spill the holy waters as they were called, it was always a losing battle one which played out repeatedly as if the offenders had exhausted their mental strength to recall.

It always seemed the law was against the people, against the ghetto spirit. It (the law) had to be defied with all might, in some cases the people would feel enough was as good as a fist, men & women would form a human wall to defend the street vendors. The green grocers always bore the brunt of the authorities, watching our compatriots’ mangoes, veggies, tomatoes being ferried by the police was always painful. It defied logic how people trying to eke out a living could be treated as criminals. Everyone always had it rough one way or the other in the ghetto.

The ghetto was a harsh environment; happiness and sorrow were so intertwined an outsider observer would hardly comprehend the juxtaposed anomaly. But we were fine that way; our struggle defined our vision and stubbornness to reach our goal to be free. Freedom to drink as we liked on the bottle store without police interfering, freedom for the ganja smokers to indulge the golden leaf as if they were in downtown Kingtson Jamaica, freedom to gather as we liked, anywhere we liked with no one having to eavesdrop what is going on. But times changed, bottled emotions soon gave way to collective outburst of anger, the ghetto people said enough of the harassment, retribution came in the form of food riots in 1998, we posted minor victories until the full might of the state was unleashed, suddenly the ghetto was not the same, soldiers, police filled the streets. It was decided from then onwards that the ghetto people had to be kept in check, a short leash was enacted. Since then the ghetto has known no freedom.

The municipal police withdrew only giving way to a more brutal force, an animal called POSA (Public Order Security Act) came into being, it had no respect for the ghetto kind of life and for the gossiping mothers, AIPPA (Access to Information & Protection of Privacy Act) was promulgated, one would think it protected their gossip but was an instrument to intrude into it. I recall days we had bashments (a house party usually organized and patronized by the youth), from nowhere you would find a Santana parked outside the party venue, disembarking would be police armed to the teeth. People would scurry in all directions, some scaling the durawall or fence to escape the pain of a police mboma (Baton). I remember the mavericks who tried jumping over the razor wire, it was a blood on the dance floor kind of thing. Soon our steps wandered elsewhere, one by one we formed lines out of the ghetto, some to United Kingdom, others to South Africa and others just to anywhere except the ghetto. But still the ghetto remains a part of us, we still believe in freedom for the ghetto, respect for the ghetto, love for the ghetto.

So when I reflect on the issue surrounding Job Sikhala and what he is alleged to have “thought” on his facebook page, I feel an aura that the ghetto is alive & invincible. The ghetto might not appeal to everyone or conform to the dictates the law, but we owe the struggle to the ghetto. In the words of George Orwell, "Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.", I envisage the ghetto being conscious at all times, born conscious, living consciously. Waiting for that opportunity to express itself, but the ghetto is under the check of the rogue animals POSA and AIPPA. Still the ghetto spirit will not wane as shown by Dread Gwisai and many others who gathered in the spirit of the ghetto, as they say, they can take us out of the ghetto but the ghetto will not be taken out of us. The ghetto lives to fight another battle, another struggle till the ghetto spirit has overcome. Still then the ghetto will remain the face of the struggle eternally.

With love and respect to the “Ghetto Kind of Life”.

Is Zimbabwe Ready For Change?

As the social network revolution sweeps past Muslim countries, many in Zimbabwe have been murmuring that such a wave should flow to Zimbabwe. It is agreed across political circles that change is long overdue in Zimbabwe. For ZANU PF its the succession debate that has been simmering for a long time, nationally its the people yearning for a less autocratic system of governance, a passing of the baton from the liberation movement's grip on power. The north African revolutions are spontaneous, uncoordinated, ours is a protracted one, the government is well aware of the aspirations of the majority hence always on the alert.

Despite the mood in Zimbabwe, most people are not prepared for what change would usher in. There are many citizens who sought asylum in countries such as England, to them change means letting go of the good life jumping to the next plane to Zimbabwe. Their complicity was evident when they were addressed by the Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, booing him when he advised them to prepare for the home coming. The thought of going back to Zimbabwe haunts many who are somehow trapped in the first world, many left home with personal goals, only to find these frustrated by watertight first world economies that do not promote enough saving, heavily leaning on credit systems to siphon the meagre wages.

The less spoken of element of change is on the economic front, most Zimbabweans at home and abroad do not have capital reserves. Change will only see many look on as investment opportunities are taken by mostly foreign companies and individuals. If there is investment by locals it will be small scale or the preserve of a few well to do individuals. This is a situation far from ideal, having put up with a lot of violence, suffering & exploitation, Zimbabweans deserve to reap the gains of an economic boom. But can we escape the calamity that has befallen most countries that were in our predicament? Its possible, we have to be strategic in our outlook, we have to muster the art of working collectively, pooling our resources together.

As individuals we can be frustrated at the thought of change, we can look at our incapacity then fall into apathy to the extent of loathing those that preach change. As a people we ought to be in active dialogue on how we can make collective investments across the whole economy. Despite our exceptional literacy rates, we seem to have been deliberately deprived of knowledge in the areas of investment, few Zimbabweans know the mechanics investment instruments such as shares, bonds and tr. In my time of schooling I did not come across a lesson teaching how one can apply wisdom to trading in shares, unit trusts and government bonds.

However true emancipation does not come easy, we have to be prepared for the belt tightening that comes with it, the current scenario whereby government goes to seek foreign cash injection is exchange for mining, farming and manufacturing concerns is just but an addressing of the symptoms. The fall out with the West and subsequent withdrawal of much investment by companies such as Anglo-America, BHP Billiton awakened us to the harsh reality that we have no safety net albeit we walk a tight rope some miles above the ground, our fall can only be disastrous. For the little resources we can be able to extract from the ground, we should invest in capital goods that will create more opportunities with the aim for self-sustenance. Added to this frugal spending must be an investment in technology, Zimbabwe's internet penetration ratio is very low for a country with high literacy rates, for competiveness goods must be produced with as little cost incurred, technology is at the heart of most gains made to reduce cost of manufacture.

To achieve a different set of results, we must do things different, since independence we joined the long list of perennial beggars, moving from nation to nation, bloc to bloc with our begging bowl as if the first world owe us anything. The beggarly mentality must cease, it’s a mockery when our leaders go before national television and mourn that we have been excluded from an AIDS funding project. Such experiences only serve to entrench the penury case in the minds of young children. Nothing is given for free, the borrower will always subject to the lender, its ironic that some sections of our politicians scream sovereignity and freedom yet still go about begging. Can a beggar be a master of anything? Does a beggar have the tools to influence anything except a handout of coins from the well-to-do passers-by? Food for thought, bottomline we need a shift in our mindsets, get down to work for the people, deploy our meagre resources to the most economically beneficial projects. The chasing of luxury cars, mansions in Scotts mountains must stop and end with the current politicians, we need new brooms to sweep better, only then will we find safety in our own domicile and perhaps have the luxury to scream a genuine SOVEREIGNTY.   

Zimbabwe's Facebook Politicians - "Are They Any Different From Robert Mugabe"

I was relaxing at home and reflecting on events of the previous night, it had been a busy day on facebook shuttling from one wall to another, there are days when politicians are out and about doing their thing, whether it’s something they plan beforehand I know not but it certainly keeps the inquisitive minds wondering & murmuring. Before the curtain came down I caught on an interesting comment regarding the expanse of a facebook politician’s reach. The thesis was with about 4,000 friends one can reach 100,000 facebookers. Anyway I would not want to delve into the mathematics of it all. What got me wondering was if politicians can reach such a number, are they making headway? I sunk into doubt as to whether there is any exchange of ideas; I juxtaposed this with the Muslim Imams in Cairo, strategically located for voice projection but nevertheless a nuisance to the intended recipients of their multitude of prayers. Such is the conclusion I reached regarding the facebook politicians, reaching many but heard by a few yet a nuisance to many. In the quest for outreach, rules of engagement have been altered.

While at it flashbacks of the “ZIM1” ran through my mind, it was like a sudden rush of wind in a storm; except that this kind made all else still while the cars sped away to wherever the president would be going (ZIM1 is the presidential motorcade in Zimbabwe). This is the closest most Zimbabweans got to engage the president albeit it was a very quiet & queer dialogue. I remember the president always moved for some grand event, no courtesy calls were made to citizens, no surprise visits from the country’s Chief Executive Officer be it in schools, hospitals, social gathering, everything danced to his schedule that was religiously followed I presume. The rule of engagement was “I engage you, you do not engage me”. This was somewhat an unwritten code that information & instructions was to filter downwards and that word or order was final. I see a similar pattern among the facebook politicians, they engage you at their convenience, “they engage you, you do not engage them”.

How many ordinary facebookers or those on the receiving end have engaged the facebook politicians on their wall not the politician’s wall? History informs me this is almost taboo, a breaking of the unwritten code, the altered “rules of engagement”. It reminds me of one facebook socialite from Zambia, one comment to his post simply asked “when are you going to comment on my posts also” with somewhat an air of exasperation. This was probably a case of someone not understanding the altered rules of engagement regarding facebook. Forget the politics of telling politicians what you want as a constituency, democracy has been turned on its head, they tell us what they want & we have to take it or leave it. The 100,000 being reached are not going to be solicited for an opinion; they are simply being told to take it as is, if there are any qualms the person has to go to the politician’s wall to try and knock some sense.

What fascinated me in all this is the fact that most if not all facebook politicians proclaim they are for democracy, this left me in frantic efforts to define democracy, the last time I remembered it was something along the lines of politicians concerned about those whom they purport to lead. Now I am no longer sure I will seek for the definition again. What I see in all this is a brand of politicians who are getting into the habit of telling us what they think, telling us what needs to be done, telling us how it needs to be done, telling us what they think never asking us what we would rather suggest, never checking on how we are doing it or what we are doing, never checking on what we are thinking. They just will not be bothered! They talk we listen, they write, we read, they order we do. How then is that different from the status quo? How different is it to the way Robert Mugabe goes about exercising his role of Chief Executive? The irony is that all advise that they are different from Robert Mugabe. Let’s face it, if someone never visited their constituencies, never took time to check on their constituencies, a courtesy comment, a courtesy like, a courtesy poke on facebook, can such be relied upon to pay a courtesy visit to the constituents in Matapi, St Marys or Nketa?

My own conclusion is this will be hard, facebook is instilling habits in politicians that might be hard to kick, and we are not much different to our online alter egos. Is it not time facebook politicians start to be engaged by their followers or friends on the friends’ walls? I believe most of these politicians will not be able to name at least 20 of their followers by name and surname or answer a simple survey of where we live. Its impossible to know every follower’s detail but to speak for the people one must be prepared to be engaged by the same people on their walls, more like inviting the President for lunch in your house & he eats matemba, then wash the meal down with jolly juice while sitting on a wooden bench, watching Premier League on black and white 14 inch television. Such a politician will have a good grasp of the people’s needs, his policies are likely to bring happiness to them and speak in consonant with them. So to all the facebook politicians, the rules of engagement must change for us to see the difference in comparison to the status quo!

Zimbabwe Permit Situation – “Playing Politics with People’s Livelihood”

Friday 31 December 2010 marks the final day of application for work, study and business permits for Zimbabweans based in South Africa, for many the festive period was the most hectic shuttling between cities and towns in South Africa in order to meet the deadline. At midnight on the 31^st there will not be much pomp and fanfare associated with a New Year, Yeoville, Hillbrow and Berea will most likely put a subdued celebration into the New Year, there will not be much beer guzzling or throwing old furniture onto the street. The churches should brace for a higher turnout as many would seek solace in the arms of the Almighty.

Official sources within the South African Home Affairs put the number of applications received as at 22 December 2010 at about 130,000. Though there is much debate regarding the number of Zimbabweans in South Africa, the generally accepted range is between 2 – 3.5 million and according to Zimbabwe’s registrar general about 1.5 million of these do not have travel documents. This means a lot of Zimbabweans did not respond to the call to regularise their stay with a response rate of less than 10% however by the first week of 2011 we will be able to decipher how many exactly managed to apply. There is also reluctance by those who hold SA identity documents to surrender these in exchange for work permits, just how many of these make up the Zimbabwe population in South Africa cannot be established. Many were beneficiaries of RDP low cost housing and other benefits afforded to the citizens of South Africa only. It remains to be seen how the South African government will establish those holding such fraudulent documents, perhaps the little known Movement Control System developed by SARS will be used, and for example people with identity documents bearing South Africa as the place of birth who regularly make trips to Zimbabwe at certain intervals will be flagged. There is also talk of a new identity system for every South African along the biometric lines hoping to nab many of such during this process. Whatever the outcome; a lot of Zimbabweans face a grim future in South Africa.

It can also be noticed the South African department of Home Affairs did their best to regularize as many Zimbabweans as possible even relaxing the requirements to the extent that all one needs is a Zimbabwean birth certificate in order to apply for a visa, holidays were also cut short to improve the speed of processing. As at 28 December 2010 I saw no less than 30 officers coming to serve the crowds that thronged the Home Affairs offices along Market Street, they carried their duties with urgency and as early as 07:30am they were taking in people to assist. So when the Minister of South Africa Home Affairs says there will not be an extension it is on the back of this effort put. There is also the opportunity cost of deploying resources to assist with this project; it is not only Zimbabweans whom the Home Affairs offices need to assist.



Zimbabweans queuing at Home Affairs Office along Harrison St, Johannesburg on the last day of submitting applications for visa permits



About 20km away in Klopperpark is where Zimbabweans applying for passports are gathering, with the deadline fast approaching; queues as long as 2km formed; a massive number for the under resourced office. The service cannot be compared to the South African counterparts who are exercising diligence. The Zimbabwean Home Affairs is known for their slow service and an indifferent attitude to the plight of its citizens; it comes as no surprise that not more than 50,000 passport applications have been processed since the start of the program. Earlier in December the Zimbabwe Ministers of Home Affairs had made a visit to assess the situation; it is then that the South African government offered their Zimbabwean counterparts a printing press than can print 4000 passports per hour after noticing that Zimbabwe was failing to cope. Minister Kembo Mohadi and Theresa Makone were then to consider this offer and get back to the South Africa government.

We were initially made to believe the Zimbabwe cabinet has gone for a Christmas break and cannot deliberate on the issue this despite the fact that the offer was extended early in December 2010; there is also the line that Tobaiwa Mudede is yet to submit a report. To add insult to injury, Kembo Mohadi is quoted as saying he is on leave and therefore Theresa Makone cannot move without him. These are the same people who took a swipe at Zimbabweans when they visited South Africa early in December with Theresa Makone saying, “I am not going to engage in gutter fighting because I am an intellectual”. So with all the intellect what did she do to expedite the situation regarding Tobaiwa Mudede. News from other sources say the offer was turned down due to security reasons, this is but a flimsy excuse because the South African government had asked the Zimbabwean government to use the printer only, the paper, passport booklets, software; manpower was going to be provided by the Zimbabwean government. It’s a case of one taking a computer with data to a neighbour’s house, connect the computer to the printer, do the print outs, disconnect your computer; take your printed material then go. Now how does security come into the picture here? Even if the printer is so hi-tech, it only manages output fed through a computer command, the Systems Administrator can be able to clear all history of print jobs leaving no trace whatsoever. If it is that the offer was indeed turned down, who made that decision since cabinet was not involved. Was it Tobaiwa Mudede’s unilateral decision, or was the cabinet by-passed. There are half truths and lies in all this; from people who are relying on the diaspora community for income flows.

With regards to ZANU-PF it’s a known fact that they would not want Zimbabweans freely moving back to Zimbabwe to vote in elections so any means to disenfranchise them would be pursued. Tobaiwa Mudede perhaps dragged his feet to make sure this comes to pass. Zimbabweans go through a torrid time in South Africa, many left their families without a passport to seek a better life but many have found themselves working in conditions of exploitation because of lack of documentation; now here we are with politicians playing politics with people’s livelihood. Perhaps another decision will be made in the New Year to use the printer; this will help those who have already applied. What of those who could not endure the long queues at the consulate, those who had to choose between retaining their jobs and spending days at the queue. Spare a thought for that young girl who is forced to resort to prostitution and eventually die of AIDS, all because she could not access a basic document such as a passport, will these people’s blood not be on your hands Minister Kembo Mohadi and Theresa Makone? You are Civil Servants, put there to serve the people but you have a warped grasp of your duties, the officious display you made when visiting South Africa tells a lot, take a leaf from Dr. Nkosazana-Dlamini Zuma, she has much to brag about but sacrificed a lot to help your own people, history will judge you harshly, enjoy your holidays and rejoice in the misery of those who put you where you are. One day the people will be free and you will stand before them to answer for these matters.